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EM ASIA FX-Most currencies weaken as a rise in regional coronavirus cases hits sentiment

* Singapore reports record daily jump in COVID-19 cases on Sunday * Malaysian ringgit weaker for 4th straight day * Markets in mainland China, India & Thailand closed for trading (Adds text, updates prices) By Anushka Trivedi April 6 (Reuters) - Most Asian currencies pulled back on Monday as the rise of coronavirus cases in the region added to fears of a prolonged economic crisis as governments struggle to contain the disease. The gloomy sentiment in Asian foreign exchange markets was in marked contrast to regional and global equities, which were buoyed by an apparent slowdown in the coronavirus infection rate in the major European nations. Worryingly, the number of new coronavirus cases jumped in China while Japan prepared to enter a state of emergency to arrest the virus' spread. Singapore posted its biggest daily increase in cases on Sunday. The Singapore dollar was little changed ahead of the third relief package announcement by its government but the Japanese yen remained under pressure against the dollar. "The past two (Singapore) budgets had perhaps provided minimal relief in terms of sentiment for the local market concerned fundamentally with the COVID-19 situation," Jingyi Pan, market strategist at IG wrote in a note. Analysts have previously also warned of a sharp contraction in the Singapore's current quarter GDP. The U.S. dollar maintained its safe haven appeal and firmed against its rivals as investors sought its safety after the non-farm payrolls report showed massive job losses for the week ended March 28 and suggested that the pandemic is shattering the world's biggest economy. The sentiment spilled over to Asian currency markets as "the hit to emerging market growth is being compounded by the slowdown in developed economies and China...EM's dependence on global portfolio flows is also weighing on some," Barclays analysts said in a client note. "Measures taken by core central banks have brought some stability to markets for now, but sentiment remains vulnerable and cyclically sensitive assets such as emerging currencies are likely to remain under pressure," they added. The Philippine peso, South Korean won and the Indonesian rupiah lost between 0.1% and 0.3%. Philippines and Indonesia reported a sizable jump in coronavirus infections over the weekend. The Malaysian ringgit weakened 0.4% and was on its way to drop for a fourth straight session as the oil exporting nation's currency was dented by a slump in crude prices. Oil prices skidded on Monday after Saudi-Russian negotiations to cut output were delayed and kept oversupply concerns alive. Meanwhile, after three consecutive sessions of losses, the Taiwanese dollar traded a shade higher. Markets in mainland China, India and Thailand were closed for a public holiday. The following table shows rates for Asian currencies against the dollar at 0510 GMT. CURRENCIES VS U.S. DOLLAR Change on the day at Currency Latest bid Previous day Pct Move Japan yen 108.860 108.45 -0.38 Sing dlr 1.438 1.4384 +0.03 Taiwan dlr 30.242 30.308 +0.22 Korean won 1232.800 1230.9 -0.15 Peso 50.750 50.71 -0.08 Rupiah 16450.000 16400 -0.30 Ringgit 4.369 4.356 -0.30 Change so far in 2019 Currency Latest bid End 2018 Pct Move Japan yen 108.860 109.56 +0.64 Sing dlr 1.438 1.3627 -5.24 Taiwan dlr 30.242 30.733 +1.62 Korean won 1232.800 1115.70 -9.50 Peso 50.750 52.47 +3.39 Rupiah 16450.000 14375 -12.61 Ringgit 4.369 4.1300 -5.47 (Reporting by Anushka Trivedi in Bengaluru; Editing by Kim Coghill)